Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and storage medium

ABSTRACT

At least one of the first notification and the second notification is provided via a display device, based on a fact that, by the editing of an object, an object with a transmission property is overlapped on the front surface of an object to be printed by use of a spot color ink, the first notification being provided for warning that the object with the transmission property is in a state of being overlapped on the front surface of the object to be printed by use of the spot color ink, the second notification being provided for asking whether or not a predetermined overlapping state in which the object with the transmission property is overlapped on the front surface of the object to be printed by use of the spot color ink is to be maintained.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an information processing method, aninformation processing apparatus, and a storage medium for editing animage to be printed by use of an ink that expresses a spot color such asa fluorescent color or a metallic color.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-044866 discloses a technique forallowing a user to recognize an area of an image to be printed with aspot color ink, which is an ink of a spot color such as a metalliccolor, before printing is performed by a printing apparatus.Specifically, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-044866, regardingimages to be printed by use of spot color inks, an image including anarea to be printed with a spot color ink and an area to be printed witha normal ink and an image only including an area to be printed with anormal ink are printed in advance or displayed on a display device. Notethat, since a display device or the like cannot display the colorsreproduced by spot color inks, the colors are displayed based on presetcolor information which can be displayed on the display device or thelike.

It is desired to suppress the occurrence of an output result that is notintended by the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of the above-describedproblems, so as to provide a technique capable of suppressing theoccurrence of an output result that is not intended by the user.

In the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided aninformation processing method including:

an editing step in which an object that is displayed on a display devicecan be edited;

a display control step in which the displaying on the display device ischanged based on contents of the editing in the editing step; and

a notification step in which at least one of a first notification and asecond notification is provided via the display device, based on a factthat, by the editing of the object in the editing step, an object with atransmission property is overlapped on a front surface of an object tobe printed by use of a spot color ink, the first notification beingprovided for warning that the object with the transmission property isin a state of being overlapped on the front surface of the object to beprinted by use of the spot color ink, the second notification beingprovided for asking whether or not a predetermined overlapping state inwhich the object with the transmission property is overlapped on thefront surface of the object to be printed by use of the spot color inkis to be maintained.

In the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided aninformation processing apparatus including:

an editing unit configured to be capable of editing an object that isdisplayed on a display device;

a display control unit configured to change the displaying on thedisplay device, based on contents of the editing by the editing unit:and

a notification unit configured to provide at least one of a firstnotification and a second notification via the display device, based ona fact that, by the editing of the object by the editing unit, an objectwith a transmission property is overlapped on a front surface of anobject to be printed by use of a spot color ink, the first notificationbeing provided for warning that the object with the transmissionproperty is in a state of being overlapped on the front surface of theobject to be printed by use of the spot color ink, the secondnotification being provided for asking whether or not a predeterminedoverlapping state in which the object with the transmission property isoverlapped on the front surface of the object to be printed by use ofthe spot color ink is to be maintained.

In the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided anon-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program forcausing a computer to function as an information processing apparatus,the information processing apparatus including:

an editing unit configured to be capable of editing an object that isdisplayed on a display device;

a display control unit configured to change the displaying on thedisplay device, based on contents of the editing by the editing unit;and

a notification unit configured to provide at least one of a firstnotification and a second notification via the display device, based ona fact that, by the editing of the object by the editing unit, an objectwith a transmission property is overlapped on a front surface of anobject to be printed by use of a spot color ink, the first notificationbeing provided for warning that the object with the transmissionproperty is in a state of being overlapped on the front surface of theobject to be printed by use of the spot color ink, the secondnotification being provided for asking whether or not a predeterminedoverlapping state in which the object with the transmission property isoverlapped on the front surface of the object to be printed by use ofthe spot color ink is to be maintained.

According to the present invention, it becomes possible to suppress theoccurrence of an output result that is not intended by the user.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram illustrating an outline of aninformation processing apparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed processing routine ofmonitoring processing;

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are diagrams illustrating examples in which awarning dialog box is displayed;

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are diagrams for explaining the processes to beperformed after the warning dialog box is displayed;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of monitoring processing performed by aninformation processing apparatus of another embodiment;

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are diagrams illustrating examples in which awarning dialog box is displayed in the information processing apparatusof another embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of monitoring processing performed by aninformation processing apparatus of another embodiment;

FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are diagrams illustrating examples in which awarning dialog box is displayed in the information processing apparatusof another embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is a block configuration diagram illustrating a print system thatperforms spot color printing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, explanations willbe given of the examples of an embodiment of an information processingapparatus, an information processing method, and a storage medium. Notethat it is not intended that the following embodiments limit the presentinvention, and every combination of the characteristics explained in thepresent embodiments is not necessarily essential to the solution in thepresent invention. Further, the relative positions, shapes, etc., of theconfigurations described in the embodiments are merely examples and arenot intended to limit this invention to the range of the examples.

First Embodiment

First, with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4B and FIG. 9 , an explanationwill be given of an information processing apparatus according to thefirst embodiment. The information processing apparatus according to thepresent embodiment is configured to be connected to a printing apparatusthat performs printing on a print medium, so as to be able to executevarious kinds of editing, such as changing the arrangement position ofan object, enlarging or reducing an object, and adding or deleting anobject, on an image to be printed by the printing apparatus. Note that,although the case in which the information processing apparatus and theprinting apparatus are installed separately will be explained in thepresent embodiment, such a configuration in which a control part or thelike of the printing apparatus has each function of the informationprocessing apparatus explained below is also possible.

<Configuration of the Information Processing Apparatus>

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram illustrating an outline of theinformation processing apparatus according to an embodiment. Forexample, the information processing apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 is configuredwith a general-purpose personal computer and includes the centralprocessing unit (CPU) 12, the ROM 14, the RAM 16, and the externalstorage device 18. The CPU 12 controls the entire information processingapparatus 10 such as executing programs and activating hardware. The ROM14 stores fixed data such as a control program, a data table, anembedded operating system (OS), and a program to be executed by the CPU12. In the present embodiment, software execution controls such asscheduling, task switching, and interruption processing are performedwith each control program stored in the ROM 14 under the control of theOS stored in the ROM 14.

The RAM 16 is configured with a SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), aDRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or the like which requires a backuppower supply. Note that data may be held in the RAM 16 by a primarybattery for data backup (not illustrated in the drawings). In this case,the RAM 16 can store data such as program control variables withoutvolatilization. Further, the RAM 16 is equipped with a memory area, and,in this memory area, the setting information of the informationprocessing apparatus 10 and the management data of the informationprocessing apparatus 10 are stored. The RAM 16 is also used as the mainmemory and a work memory of the CPU 12. In the external storage device18, various applications, contents data handled by these applications,etc., are saved.

The information processing apparatus 10 includes the input interface 20and is connected to an input device such as the keyboard 22 and thepointing device 24 via this input interface 20. Further, the informationprocessing apparatus 10 includes the output interface 26 and isconnected to the display device 28 via this output interface 26.Further, the information processing apparatus 10 includes theinput-output interface 30 and is connected via this input-outputinterface 30 to the peripheral apparatus 32, which is a printingapparatus that performs printing based on the image data that is outputfrom the information processing apparatus 10. The connected printingapparatus is configured to be capable of printing by use of a spot colorink (which will be described later). With these configurations, it ispossible for the user to input commands and various kinds of informationby use of an input device such as the keyboard 22 and the pointingdevice 24 while checking the contents displayed on the display device28.

As the display device 28, various publicly-known display devices such asan LED (Light Emitting Diode) and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) can beused. Further, the display device 28 displays various kinds ofinformation and provides notifications of the state of the informationprocessing apparatus 10, etc. Note that such a form in which a softkeyboard equipped with various kinds of keys such as a numeral inputkey, a mode setting key, a determination key, a cancel key, or a powersupply key is installed on the display device 28 so that an input fromthe user is accepted via the display device 28 is also possible. Thecontents displayed on the display device 28 are controlled by the CPU12. As described above, in the present embodiment, the CPU 12 functionsas a display control part that is capable of changing the displaying ofthe display device 28.

<Print System>

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a print systemthat performs spot color printing. Note that the spot color printing isprinting using inks of spot colors (hereinafter referred to as “spotcolor ink”) other than normal inks. Further, the “normal inks” are acyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, black ink, and the like which areused in a general printing apparatus. In the present embodiment, afluorescent pink ink is used as the spot color ink. However, the presentembodiment is not limited to this form, and the number and colors ofspot color inks may be arbitrary. Further, colors other than fluorescentcolors are also possible. For example, a violet ink, green ink, orangeink, gold ink, and silver ink may be used as the spot color ink.Further, inks of other metallic colors may be used. Further, an ink inwhich a spot color ink and another ink (for example, a normal ink) areblended may also be used as a spot color ink.

The information processing apparatus 10 has the OS 901, the applicationprogram (hereinafter, application) 902, and the printer driver 903 assoftware (programs). The application 902 is software for creating thecontents to be printed and corresponds to an image editing applicationfor creating poster data, for example. On the application 902, the userdesignates specific RGB data values regarding the characters or graphicsprint data for which it is desired to perform the later-described spotcolor printing. Upon receiving a print request from the user, theapplication 902 issues a print instruction to the OS 901. Upon receivingthe print instruction, the OS 901 entrusts the subsequent processingrelated to printing to an OS print system (not illustrated in thedrawings) installed in itself. Here, the following explanation will begiven on the premise that the OS print system operates in cooperationwith the printer driver 903 provided by a printing apparatus vendor.

Upon receiving a request for displaying the print setting screen fromthe application 902, the OS print system requests the printer driver 903to display the print setting screen, and the printer driver 903 displaysthe print setting screen on the user interface part 904. On the printsetting screen, it is possible to designate the paper size, paper type,etc., and designate the spot color printing. In a case of performing thespot color printing, the user first selects the spot color to be used inthe print settings of the printer driver 903. Thereafter, the contentsare created on the application 902, and the RGB data valuescorresponding to the usage of the above-described spot color ink aredesignated for the characters and graphics prim data for which it isdesired to use the spot color ink.

The printer driver 903 provides the SDK (Software Development Kit) I/F906. By use of the SDK I/F 906, the application 902 can perform printsettings on the application 902 without opening the print setting screenof the printer driver 903. Further, with the information obtainment part907, it is possible for the printer driver 903 to obtain information ofthe peripheral apparatus 32. Based on the information obtained from theperipheral apparatus 32, the printer driver 903 can display the settingscorresponding to the functions of the peripheral apparatus 32 on theuser interface part 904 and support the settings with the SDK I/F 906.

With the print instruction from the application 902, the print data andthe print settings of the application 902 are transmitted to thegraphics processing part 905 of the printer driver 903 via the OS printsystem. The graphics processing part 905 converts these data into a dataformat that can be interpreted by the peripheral apparatus 32 and sendsthe data to the peripheral apparatus 32 as a print job. Thereafter, inkis ejected from the printing head of the peripheral apparatus 32 ontothe print medium which is fed to the peripheral apparatus 32, so as toform an image. Here, in a case where the spot color printing is set, inkof the spot color is ejected for the pixels of the designated RGB valuesof the print data for which printing with the spot color is designated.

Here, an explanation will be given of the example of the peripheralapparatus 32 that uses spot color inks in a case where the spot colorprinting is set by the printer driver 903 and is capable of performingprinting with the six predetermined types of colors using the spotcolors. In a case where the spot color printing is set by the printerdriver 903, the pixels having a specific RGB value corresponding to theset spot color in the print data will be printed by use of the spotcolor ink. In the present embodiment, specific RGB values are assignedto the six predetermined kinds of colors, respectively. In the presentembodiment, the specific RGB values are, for example, R=255 (0xFF), G=0(0x00), and B=255 (0xFF), and, by using the fluorescent pink ink for thepixels having those RGB values, the printing will be performed with thefluorescent pink color, which is one of the spot colors. Further, thespecific RGB values are, for example, R=255 (0xFF), G=85 (0x55), B=0(0x00), and, by blending and using the fluorescent pink ink and M and Yinks for the pixels having those RGB values, the printing will beperformed with an orange color, which is one of the spot colors. Notethat, for example, it is also possible that the printing is performedwith the orange color by using an orange ink only in a case of such aform in which the orange ink can be used as a spot color ink. That is,it is sufficient as long as the printing is performed by at least usinga spot color ink for the pixels having a specific RGB valuecorresponding to the spot color, and thus the spot color ink may or maynot be blended with CMYK inks for the printing. Note that, even in thespot color printing, the pixels that are not the pixels having aspecific RGB value corresponding to a spot color will be printed by useof CMYK inks only. Further, the spot color printing is executed in acase where the spot color printing is enabled by a user operation. Thatis, in a case where the spot color printing setting is not enabled, thepixels having a specific RGB value corresponding to a spot color willalso be printed by use of the CMYK inks only by normally referring tothe RGB values.

Specifically, in a case where the printer driver 903 enables the printsetting of the spot color of the fluorescent pink and the RGB value of apixel included in the print data to be sent is R=255, G=0, and B=255, itis possible for the peripheral apparatus 32 to perform the spot colorprinting of the fluorescent pink. The same applies to other spot colors.That is, in a case where the printer driver 903 enables the printsetting of each of the spot colors and the RGB values of pixels includedin the print data to be sent are the RGB values corresponding to therespective spot colors, it is possible for the peripheral apparatus 32to perform the corresponding spot color printing. Note that, on theother hand, in a case where the print data does not include the pixelshaving the above-described specific RGB values corresponding to spotcolor printing even though the printer driver 903 enables the spot colorprinting setting, the spot color printing cannot be performed. It isalso possible that a notification of an error (warning) is provided in acase where the spot color printing cannot be performed.

<Monitoring Processing>

In the information processing apparatus 10 having the configuration asexplained above, the application 902 for editing image data isactivated, so as to perform editing processing such as changing thearrangement position of an object in image data. In the informationprocessing apparatus 10, if the application 902 is activated, theediting screen for editing image data is displayed on the display device28, and the editing processing will be started. Note that theapplication 902 is operated by the CPU 12. In the present embodiment,the CPU 12 functions as an editing part that is capable of editing imagedata.

Further, in the information processing apparatus 10, the monitoringprocessing, which is for monitoring the overlap between an object to beprinted with a spot color ink and an object for which opacity is set, isstarted in parallel with the editing processing. The monitoringprocessing is executed by the application 902. Note that the image datathat is edited by the editing processing is stored in the externalstorage device 18 or the like and is appropriately output by the CPU 12via the input-output interface 30 to the peripheral apparatus 32 such asa printing apparatus for use. As described above, in the presentembodiment, the CPU 12 and the input-output interface 30 function as anoutput part that outputs edited image data to a printing apparatus orthe like.

Note that the image data to be the editing target may be created by theinformation processing apparatus 10 or may be input in advance fromanother apparatus. Further, in the image data to be the editing target,color information is set for each object and the background, based onthe colors expressed at the time of printing. Further, on the editingscreen, each object of the image data is colored and displayed based onthe set color information. Note that, as for the objects to be printedby use of spot color inks, since the colors expressed by spot color inkscannot be displayed on the display device 28, the colors are displayedwith normal colors corresponding to the spot color inks, based on thespecific color information (RGB values) that can be displayed on thedisplay device 28. Such specific color information representing spotcolor inks is preset.

Therefore, on the editing screen, the objects to be printed with normalinks other than the spot color inks are displayed with the colors of thecolor information corresponding to the inks, and the objects to beprinted by use of spot color inks are displayed with the colors based onthe specific color information associated with the spot color inks.Accordingly, it is possible for the user to identify an object to beprinted by use of a spot color ink (hereinafter appropriately referredto as an “object for which a spot color ink is to be used”) on theediting screen.

While checking an image displayed on the editing screen, the user editsthe image in various ways. After editing, image data reflecting theedited contents is stored in the external storage device 18 and outputto the peripheral apparatus 32. Since it is possible to usepublicly-known techniques for setting the color information representingthe spot color inks to be displayed on the display device 28 and forediting image data in various ways, detailed explanations thereof willbe omitted in the following description. Further, an object for whichopacity is set is an object for which the degree of opacity is set, andthe object is an object having a transmission degree corresponding tothe opacity, that is, an object with a transmission property.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed processing routine of themonitoring processing. FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are diagrams illustratingexamples in which a warning dialog box is displayed. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4Bare diagrams illustrating the positions of an object after making aselection in the warning dialog box. The position of the object in acase where “NO” is selected is illustrated in FIG. 4A, and the positionof the object in a case where “YES” is selected is illustrated in FIG.4B. The series of the processes illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 2is performed by the CPU 12 loading a program code stored in the ROM 14into the RAM 16 and executing the program code. Alternatively, a part orall of the functions in the steps of FIG. 2 may be executed by hardwaresuch as an ASIC or an electronic circuit. Note that the sign “S” in theexplanation of each process means that it is a step of the flowcharts.

If the application 902 is activated and the editing screen is displayedon the display device 28, the information processing apparatus 10 startsthe monitoring processing. If the monitoring processing is started, theCPU 12 first determines whether or not the position of an object ischanged (S202). In S202, whether or not an object is moved is determinedbased on an input by an input device such as the keyboard 22 or thepointing device 24.

If it is determined in S202 that the position of an object is notchanged, the CPU 12 determines whether or not the application 902 isended (S204), and, if it is determined that the application 902 is notended, the processing will return to S202. Further, if it is determinedin S204 that the application 902 is ended, this monitoring processingwill be ended. Further, if it is determined in S202 that the position ofan object is changed, the CPU 12 determines whether or not at least apart of an object with a transmission property is overlapped on thefront surface of an “object for which a spot color ink is to be used”,according to the change (S206). Specifically, in S206, regarding twoobjects in an overlapped state after the movement of an object, whetheror not the object with a transmission property is arranged on the frontside and an “object for which a spot color ink is to be used” isarranged on the back side is determined.

That is, in S206, first, whether or not two objects that overlap eachother has occurred due to the movement of an object is determined. Atthis stage, in a case where the CPU 12 determines that two objects thatoverlap each other have not occurred, it will be determined as “NO” inS206. In a case where it is determined that two objects that overlapeach other have occurred, whether or not one of the two overlappingobjects is an object with a transmission property and the other is an“object for which a spot color ink is to be used” will be determinednext. At this stage, in a case where the CPU 12 determines that at leastone of the two is not an object with a transmission property or at leastthe other is not an object for which a spot color ink is to be used, itwill be determined as “NO” in S206. In a case where it is determinedthat one of the two is an object with a transmission property and theother is an “object for which a spot color ink is to be used”, whetheror not the object with a transmission property is arranged on the frontside of the “object for which a spot color ink is to be used” will bedetermined next. At this stage, in a case where the CPU 12 determinesthat the object with a transmission property is not arranged on thefront side of the “object for which a spot color ink is to be used”, itwill be determined as “NO” in S206.

Therefore, in S206, it will be determined as “YES” if the followingthree conditions are satisfied. The first condition is that two objectsoverlapping each other has occurred due to the movement of an object.The second condition is that one of the two overlapping objects is anobject with a transmission property and the other is an object for whicha spot color ink is to be used. The third condition is that the objectwith a transmission property is arranged on the front side of the“object for which a spot color ink is to be used”. That is, in thepresent embodiment, for example, in a case where an object with atransmission property is arranged on the front side of an object to beprinted by use of a normal ink, it will be determined as “NO” in S206.Further, for example, in a case where an object without transmissionproperty is arranged on the front side of an object without transmissionproperty, it will be determined as “NO” in S206. Further, for example,in a case where an object with a transmission property is arranged onthe front side of an “object for which a spot color ink is to be used”,it will be determined as “YES” in S206. Further, for example, even if an“object for which a spot color ink is to be used” overlaps an objectwith a transmission property, in a case where the “object for which aspot color ink is to be used” is arranged on the front side of theobject with a transmission property, it will be determined as “NO” inS206. In this way, in the present embodiment, the CPU 12 functions as adetection part that detects whether or not an object with a transmissionproperty is arranged on the front side of an object for which a spotcolor ink is to be used.

If it is determined as “NO” in S206, the processing will proceed toS204, and a notification process such as S208 will not be executed.Further, if it is determined as “YES” in S206, the CPU 12 executes thenotification process (S208). Specifically, the CPU 12 displays thewarning dialog box 302 on the editing screen. The reason why the presentprocess is executed will be explained. Here, in the edited image data inwhich the object with a transmission property is arranged on the frontside of the “object for which a spot color ink is to be used” in anoverlapping manner, the overlapping part of the two objects may deviatefrom the color information that is set as the spot color ink at the timeof rendering. In this case, in the actual printing, the spot color inkwill not be used for the printing of the above-described overlappingpart of the two objects. Therefore, there is a case in which the productends up in a printing result that is not intended by the user.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in a case of displaying an objectwith a transmission property in a state of being arranged due to editing(in the present embodiment, the movement of an object) so as to overlapan “object for which a spot color ink is to be used”, the warning dialogbox 302 will be displayed. For example, as in FIG. 3A, if the object 310with a transmission property is in a state of being overlapped on thefront surface of the object 312 for which a spot color ink is to be used(hereinafter referred to as a predetermined overlapping state) due tothe movement of one of the objects, the warning dialog box 302 will bedisplayed. Further, as in FIG. 3B, if the object 310 which is positionedon the back surface of the object 314 is in a state of being overlappedon the front side of the object 312 due to the movement of thepredetermined object 314, the warning dialog box 302 will also bedisplayed. In this way, in the present embodiment, the CPU 12 functionsas a notification part that provides at least one of a notification forwarning and a notification for asking whether or not to maintain apredetermined overlapping state via, the warning dialog box 302.

In the warning dialog box 302, the select button 304 for selectingwhether or not to maintain the predetermined overlapping state isdisplayed together with the warning message 306. The warning message 306displayed in the warning dialog box 302 is a sentence as a notificationthat an object with a transmission property overlaps an “object forwhich a spot color ink is to be used”. Further, in the warning dialogbox 302, the sentence 308 for asking whether or not to maintain thepredetermined overlapping state by use of the select button 304 isdisplayed. Note that, as described above, in a case where thepredetermined overlapping state is maintained, the spot color ink willnot be used for the part in the predetermined overlapping state.Therefore, the sentence 308 is a sentence for asking whether or not itis ok that the spot color ink will not be used for the part where thetwo objects overlap. As the select button 304, the “YES” select button304 a and the “NO” select button 304 b corresponding to the sentence forasking whether or not to maintain the predetermined overlapping stateare displayed.

If the warning dialog box 302 is displayed, the CPU 12 next determineswhether or not the “YES” select button 304 a is selected (S210). If itis determined in S210 that the “YES” select button 304 a is notselected, that is, the “NO” select button 304 b is selected, it will bedetermined that “NO” is selected as for maintaining the predeterminedoverlapping state. That is, it will be determined that “NO” is selectedfor not using the spot color ink for the part where the two objectsoverlap. Then, the CPU 12 disables the executed editing and returns themoved object to the position before the movement (S212), and theprocessing will proceed to S204. Specifically, in a case where theobject 310 with a transmission property is moved to the front surface ofthe object 312 for which a spot color ink is to be used, the object 310will be returned to the position before the movement as illustrated inFIG. 4A. Further, in a case where the object 314 is moved in the editingas in FIG. 3B, the object 314 will be returned to the position beforethe movement.

Further, in S210, if the “YES” select button 304 a is selected, theexecuted editing is enabled, and the state in which the object with atransmission property is overlapped on the front surface of the “objectfor which a spot color ink is to be used” is maintained, and theprocessing will proceed to S204. Specifically, the processing willproceed to S204 with the object 310 being overlapped on the frontsurface of the object 312 as illustrated in FIG. 4B.

As explained above, in the information processing apparatus 10 accordingto the present embodiment, if at least a part of an object with atransmission property is overlapped on the front surface of an “objectfor which a spot color ink is to be used” during editing an image, thewarning dialog box 302 will be displayed. In this warning dialog box302, the warning message 306 indicating that an object with atransmission property is overlapped on the front surface of an objectfor which a spot color ink is to be used and the sentence 308 for askingwhether or not it is ok that the spot color ink will not be used for theoverlapping part are displayed. Further, in the warning dialog box 302,the “YES” select button 304 a and the “NO” select button 304 b aredisplayed as the options associated with the sentence 308. Furthermore,if the “YES” select button 304 a is selected, it will be determined thatit is confirmed that the spot color ink will not be used for the part ofthe object for which the spot color ink is to be used overlapping theobject with a transmission property, and thus the state in which the twoobjects overlap will be maintained. Further, if the “NO” select button304 b is selected, it will be determined that it is not confirmed thatthe spot color ink will not be used for the part of the object for whichthe spot color ink is to be used overlapping the object with atransmission property, and thus the moved object will be returned to theoriginal position. Accordingly, the information processing apparatus 10can obtain a printing result that reflects the user's intentionregarding an object for which a spot color ink is to be used, in otherwords, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a printing resultthat is not intended by the user.

Note that the contents of the notification process are not limited tothe above-described form. For example, it is sufficient as long as thecontents of the warning dialog box 302 displayed by the notificationprocess are for notifying the user that at least a part of an objectwith a transmission property is overlapped on the front surface of anobject for which a spot color ink is to be used. Further, for example,it is also possible that the contents are for notifying the user thatthe part where at least a part of an object with a transmission propertyis overlapped on the front surface of an object for which a spot colorink is to be used will be printed without using the spot color ink.Further, for example, it is also possible that the contents are forprompting the user to perform an editing operation so that at least apart of the object with a transmission property will not be overlappedon the front surface of the object for which a spot color ink is to beused.

Further, the timing at which the notification process is executed isalso not limited to the above-described form. That is, the timing atwhich the notification process is executed does not have to be thetiming at which the position of an object is changed so that at least apart of the object with a transmission property overlaps the frontsurface of the object for which a spot color ink is to be used. Forexample, the timing at which a print instruction operation is performedby the user in a state where at least a part of the object with atransmission property overlaps the front surface of the object for whicha spot color ink is to be used is also possible. Further, in this form,in a case where “YES” is selected in the warning dialog box, printingwill be executed with the predetermined overlapping state beingmaintained. Furthermore, in a case where “NO” is selected, printing willnot be executed and the screen returns to the editing screen.

Further, in the state where at least a part of an object with atransmission property overlaps the front surface of an object for whicha spot color ink is to be used, it is also possible that the part of theobject for which a spot color ink is to be used on which at least a partof the object with a transmission property overlaps is displayed in ahighlighted manner.

Second Embodiment

Next, with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 6B, an explanation will be givenof an information processing apparatus according to the secondembodiment. In the following explanation, the same or correspondingconfigurations as those of the information processing apparatusaccording to the first embodiment described above are assigned with thesame signs as those used in the first embodiment, so as to omit detailedexplanations thereof.

The second embodiment is different from the above-described firstembodiment in the aspect that the warning dialog box is not displayed ifthe object which has been returned to the unedited state due toselection in the warning dialog box is moved again so as to be in astate where the same objects overlap again.

Hereinafter, the monitoring processing executed by the informationprocessing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will beexplained in detail. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the detailedprocessing routine of the monitoring processing executed by theinformation processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example in which the warning dialogbox is not displayed again, and FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating anexample in which the warning dialog box is displayed again.

If the monitoring processing is started, the CPU 12 first determineswhether or not the position of an object is changed (S502). If it isdetermined in S502 that the position of an object is not changed, theCPU 12 determines whether or not the application 902 is ended (S504),and, if it is determined that the application 902 is ended, thismonitoring processing will be ended. On the other hand, if it isdetermined in S504 that the application 902 is not ended, the processingwill return to S502. Further, if it is determined in S502 that theposition of an object is changed, the CPU 12 determines whether or notat least a part of an object with a transmission property is overlappedon the front surface of an object for which a spot color ink is to beused, according to the change (S506). Note that, since the specificdetails of processing of S502 to S506 are the same as those of S202 toS206 described above, the detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.

If it is determined as “NO” in S506, the processing will proceed toS504. Further, if it is determined as “YES” in S506, the CPU 12determines whether or not the warning dialog box 302 has already beendisplayed for the combination of the target objects (S508). In S508, theCPU 12 makes a determination based on the later-described combinationsfor which the warning dialog box has already been displayed, which arestored in a storage area. For example, the combinations for which thewarning dialog box has already been displayed are initialized at thetiming of starting the monitoring processing. In S508, if thecombination of the target objects (the object with a transmissionproperty and the object for which a spot color ink is to be used thatoverlap each other) is included in the stored combinations for which thewarning dialog box 302 has already been displayed, it will be determinedthat the warning dialog box 302 has already been displayed. Further, ifthe combination of the target objects is not included in the storedcombinations for which the warning dialog box has been displayed, itwill be determined that the warning dialog box 302 has not beendisplayed.

If it is determined in S508 that the warning dialog box 302 has alreadybeen displayed for the combination of the target objects, the processingwill proceed to S504. That is, in this case, the CPU 12 determines thatthe object with a transmission property and the object for which a spotcolor ink is to be used are overlapped again in the same combination(see FIG. 6A), and thus it is determined that the user executed theediting while being aware of the warning of the warning dialog box 302.Therefore, the displaying of the warning dialog box 302 in this casewill be omitted. Further, if it is determined in S508 that the warningdialog box 302 has not been displayed for the combination of the targetobjects, the CPU 12 will display the warning dialog box 302 (S510). Thatis, in this case, the CPU 12 determines that the two objects are in astate of being overlapped for the first time due to the movement of anobject which is detected in S502 (see FIG. 6B) and displays the warningdialog box 302.

Thereafter, the CPU 12 determines whether or not the “YES” select button304 a displayed in the warning dialog box 302 is selected (S512). InS512, if the “YES” select button 304 a is selected, the executed editingis enabled, and the state in which the object with a transmissionproperty is overlapped on the front surface of the object for which aspot color ink is to be used is maintained, and the processing willproceed to S516, which will be described later. Further, if it isdetermined in S512 that the “YES” select button 304 a is not selected,the CPU 12 disables the executed editing and returns the moved object tothe position before the movement (S514). The specific details ofprocessing of S512 and S514 are the same as those of S210 and S212described above. Further, the CPU 12 stores the combination of thetarget objects at the time of displaying the warning dialog box 302 as acombination for which the warning dialog has been displayed in a storagearea such as the RAM 16 (S516), and the processing will proceed to S504.

Specifically, in S516, in a case where the object 310 with atransmission property is moved to the front surface of the object 312for which a spot color ink is to be used as in FIG. 3A, the combinationof the objects 310 and 312 is stored as a combination for which thewarning dialog box has been displayed. Further, in a case where theobject 314 is moved as in FIG. 3B, the combination of the objects 310,312, and 314 is stored as a combination for which the warning dialog boxhas been displayed. Therefore, in such a case as in FIG. 3B, whether ornot the warning dialog box 302 has been displayed is determined in S508according to the moved object and the combination of the overlapped twoobjects. Note that combinations of objects to be stored as a combinationfor which the warning dialog has been displayed are not limited to sucha combination as described above and may be changed as appropriate.

As explained above, in the information processing apparatus 10 accordingto the present embodiment, the warning dialog box 302 is not displayedagain, that is, a notification for warning or the like is not providedagain, for combinations of objects for which the warning dialog box 302has been displayed. Accordingly, in addition to the effect of theabove-described first embodiment, it is possible to minimize thedeterioration in workability of editing due to the displaying of thewarning dialog box 302.

Third Embodiment

Next, with reference to FIG. 7 to FIG. 8B, an explanation will be givenof an information processing apparatus according to the thirdembodiment. In the following explanation, the same or correspondingconfigurations as those of the information processing apparatusaccording to the first embodiment described above are assigned with thesame signs as those used in the first embodiment, so as to omit detailedexplanations thereof.

The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in theaspect that the warning dialog box is displayed according to theposition of the object with a transmission property overlapping theobject for which a spot color ink is to be used, which is configuredwith the first part and the second part. Note that the first part is apart having a color and transmission property that do not affect theobject located on the back surface thereof at the time of beingdisplayed on the editing screen, such as colorless and transparent partwith which the object located on the back surface thereof can beproperly recognized. The second part is a part having a color andtransmission property that affect the object located on the back surfacethereof. That is, in an object with a transmission property, the firstpart is a part that does not affect the printing of an object located onthe back surface thereof, and the second part is a part that affects theprinting of an object located on the back surface thereof.

Hereinafter, the monitoring processing executed by the informationprocessing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will beexplained in detail. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the detailedprocessing routine of the monitoring processing executed by theinformation processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating an example in which the warning dialogbox is not displayed, and FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating an examplein which the warning dialog box is displayed.

If the monitoring processing is started, the CPU 12 first determineswhether or not the position of an object is changed (S702). If it isdetermined in S702 that the position of an object is not changed, theCPU 12 determines whether or not the application 902 is ended (S704),and, if it is determined that the application 902 is ended, thismonitoring processing will be ended. On the other hand, if it isdetermined in S704 that the application 902 is not ended, the processingwill return to S702. The specific details of processing of S702 and S704are the same as those of S202 and S204 described above.

Further, if it is determined in S702 that the position of an object ischanged, the CPU 12 determines whether or not the second part of anobject with a transmission property is overlapped on the front surfaceof an object for which a spot color ink is to be used, according to thechange (S706). Specifically, in S706, first, whether or not two objectsthat overlap each other has occurred due to the movement of an object isdetermined. At this stage, in a case where the CPU 12 determines thattwo objects that overlap each other have not occurred, it will bedetermined as “NO” in S706. In a case where it is determined that twoobjects that overlap each other have occurred, whether or not one of theoverlapping objects is an object with a transmission property and theother is an object for which a spot color ink is to be used will bedetermined next. At this stage, in a case where the CPU 12 determinesthat at least one of the two is not an object with a transmissionproperty or at least the other is not an object for which a spot colorink is to be used, it will be determined as “NO” in S706.

In a case where it is determined that one of the two is an object with atransmission property and the other is an “object for which a spot colorink is to be used”, whether or not the object with a transmissionproperty is arranged on the front side of the “object for which a spotcolor ink is to be used” will be determined next. At this stage, in acase where the CPU 12 determines that the object with a transmissionproperty is not arranged on the front side of the “object for which aspot color ink is to be used”, it will be determined as “NO” in S706. Ina case where it is determined that an object with a transmissionproperty is arranged on the front side of an object for which a spotcolor ink is to be used, whether or not the second part of the objectwith a transmission property overlaps the object for which a spot colorink is to be used will be determined next. At this stage, in a casewhere it is determined by the CPU 12 that the second part of the objectwith a transmission property does not overlap the object for which aspot color ink is to be used, that is, in a case where it is determinedthat only the first part overlaps the object for which a spot color inkis to be used, it will be determined as “NO” in S706.

Therefore, in S706, it will be determined as “YES” if the following fourconditions are satisfied. The first condition is that two objectsoverlapping each other has occurred due to the movement of an object.The second condition is that one of the two overlapping objects is anobject with a transmission property and the other is an object for whicha spot color ink is to be used. The third condition is that the objectwith a transmission property is arranged on the front side of the“object for which a spot color ink is to be used”. The fourth conditionis that the second part of the object with a transmission propertyoverlaps the “object for which a spot color ink is to be used”.

If it is determined as “NO” in S706, the processing will proceed toS704. Further, if it is determined as “YES” in S706, the CPU 12 willdisplay the warning dialog box 302 (S708). For example, in a case whereonly the first part 804 of the object 802 with a transmission propertyis arranged on the front surface of the object 312 for which a spotcolor ink is to be used as in FIG. 8A, the area where the two objectsoverlap has no effect on rendering. That is, with no deviation from thecolor information that is set for the spot color ink at the time ofrendering, the printing by use of the spot color ink will be executed inthe area where the first part 804 of the object 802 and the object 312overlap. On the other hand, in a case where the second part 806 of theobject 802 is overlapped on the front surface of the object 312 as inFIG. 8B, there will be deviation from the color information that is setfor the spot color ink at the time of rendering in the area of theobject 312 where the second part 806 overlaps. That is, the spot colorink will not be used for the printing in the area where the second part806 of the object 802 and the object 312 overlap.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, if the second part of an objectwith a transmission property is arranged on the front surface of anobject for which a spot color ink is to be used as in FIG. 8B, thewarning dialog box 302 will be displayed so as to notify the user of thewarning and prompt the user to select enabling or disabling the editing.Note that, also in the present embodiment, as with the first embodiment,if the second part of an object with a transmission property is in astate of being overlapped on the front surface of an object for which aspot color ink is to be used due to the movement of a predeterminedobject, the warning dialog box 302 will be displayed.

Thereafter, the CPU 12 determines whether or not the “YES” select button304 a displayed in the warning dialog box 302 is selected (S710). InS710, if it is determined that the “YES” select button 304 a isselected, the executed editing is enabled, and the state in which thesecond part of the object with a transmission property is overlapped onthe front surface of the object for which a spot color ink is to be usedis maintained, and the processing will proceed to S704. Further, if itis determined in S710 that the “YES” select button 304 a is notselected, the CPU 12 disables the executed editing and returns the movedobject to the position before the movement (S712). The specific detailsof processing of S710 and S712 are the same as those of S210 and S212described above.

As explained above, in the information processing apparatus 10, if thesecond part of an object with a transmission property, which affects theprinting of an object on the back surface thereof, is overlapped on thefront surface of an object for which a spot color ink is to be used, thewarning dialog box 302 will be displayed. Further, if only the firstpart of an object with a transmission property, which does not affectthe printing of an object on the back surface thereof, is overlapped onthe front surface of an object for which a spot color ink is to be used,the warning dialog box 302 will not be displayed. Accordingly, inaddition to the effect of the above-described first embodiment, theeffect of improving the convenience for editing can be obtained.

Other Embodiments

Note that the above-described embodiments may be modified as shown inthe following (1) through (4).

(1) In the above-described embodiments, although the case in which anobject with a transmission property overlaps the front surface of anobject for which a spot color ink is to be used, where the warningdialog box will be displayed, is made by the change of the position ofan object, there is not a limitation as such. Specifically, it is alsopossible that the warning dialog box 302 is displayed in a case where anobject with a transmission property overlaps the front surface of anobject for which a spot color ink is to be used due to another editingprocessing such as enlarging or reducing and adding or deleting anobject. That is, as a result of editing in various ways, if an objectwith a transmission property is displayed in a state of being overlappedon the front surface of an object for which a spot color ink is to beused, the warning dialog box 302 will be displayed. In this case, if the“NO” select button 304 b is selected in the warning dialog box 302, theedited object is returned to the unedited state in S212 or in a processcorresponding thereto. Further, if the “YES” select button 304 a isselected, the edit is maintained.

(2) Although the warning dialog box 302 which includes the warningmessage 306, the sentence 308 for asking whether editing is possible,i.e., whether editing will be enabled or disabled, and the select button304 is displayed in the above-described embodiments, there is not alimitation as such. That is, it is also possible that at least one ofthe warning message 306 and the sentence 308 is displayed as the warningdialog box or that the edited object is returned to the unedited stateat the user's discretion.

(3) Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by acomputer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computerexecutable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on astorage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/orthat includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or moreof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by thecomputer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out andexecuting the computer executable instructions from the storage mediumto perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). Thecomputer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processingunit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate processors to read out and execute thecomputer executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or thestorage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or moreof a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™)a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

(4) The above-described embodiments and various forms shown in (1)through (3) may be combined as appropriate.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2021-070475, filed Apr. 19, 2021, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing method comprising: editing an object that is displayed on a display device; changing the displaying on the display device based on contents of the editing; and executing at least one of a first type notification or a second type notification via the display device, based on a fact that, by the editing of the object, an object with a transmission property is overlapped on a front surface of an object to be printed by use of a spot color ink, wherein the first type notification is provided for warning that the object with the transmission property is in a state of being overlapped on the front surface of the object to be printed by use of the spot color ink, and wherein the second type notification is provided for asking whether or not a predetermined overlapping state in which the object with the transmission property is overlapped on the front surface of the object to be printed by use of the spot color ink is to be maintained.
 2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein, in the second type notification, an option corresponding to whether or not the predetermined overlapping state is to be maintained is displayed.
 3. The information processing method according to claim 2, wherein, in a case where an option corresponding to not maintaining the predetermined overlapping state is selected by a user, at least one of (a) the object with the transmission property and (b) the object to be printed by use of the spot color ink is returned to an unedited state.
 4. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein, a combination of the objects, which are regarded as targets for the at least one of the first type notification or the second type notification, are stored, and wherein the at least one of the first type notification or the second type notification is not provided again based on the stored combination.
 5. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the object with the transmission property includes (a) a first part that does not affect printing of an object located on a back surface thereof or (b) a second part that affects printing on the object located on the back surface thereof, and wherein at least one of the first type notification or the second type notification is executed, based on a fact that the second part of the object with the transmission property is overlapped on the front surface of the object to be printed by use of the spot color ink by the editing of the object.
 6. The information processing method according to claim 1 further comprising outputting image data reflecting the contents of the editing to a printing apparatus that is capable of printing by use of the spot color ink at least.
 7. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the editing includes at least one of moving, enlarging, reducing, adding, and deleting the object.
 8. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the spot color ink is ink whose color expressed in the printing cannot be displayed on the display device.
 9. The information processing method according to claim 8, wherein the spot color ink includes ink that expresses at least one of a fluorescent color, a gold color, and a silver color.
 10. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein neither the first type notification nor the second type notification is executed based on a fact that the object to be printed by use of the spot color ink is overlapped on a front surface of the object with the transmission property.
 11. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein neither the first type notification nor the second type notification is executed based on a fact that an object without the transmission property is overlapped on the front surface of the object to be printed by use of the spot color ink.
 12. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein neither the first type notification nor the second type notification is executed based on a fact that the object with the transmission property is overlapped on a front surface of an object to be printed by use of a normal ink which is not the spot color ink.
 13. The information processing method according to claim 12, wherein the normal ink is at least one of a cyan ink, a magenta ink, a yellow ink, and a black ink.
 14. An information processing apparatus comprising: (a) at least one processor and at least one memory, (b) circuitry, or (c) circuitry, at least one processor, and at least one memory, the (a) at least one processor and at least one memory, (b) circuitry, or (c) circuitry, at least one processor, and at least one memory being configured to operate as a plurality of units comprising: (1) an editing unit configured to be capable of editing an object that is displayed on a display device; (2) a display control unit configured to change the displaying on the display device, based on contents of the editing by the editing unit; and (3) a notification unit configured to provide at least one of a first type notification or a second type notification via the display device, based on a fact that, by the editing of the object by the editing unit, an object with a transmission property is overlapped on a front surface of an object to be printed by use of a spot color ink, wherein the first type notification is provided for warning that the object with the transmission property is in a state of being overlapped on the front surface of the object to be printed by use of the spot color ink, and wherein the second type notification is provided for asking whether or not a predetermined overlapping state in which the object with the transmission property is overlapped on the front surface of the object to be printed by use of the spot color ink is to be maintained.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as an information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus comprising: an editing unit configured to be capable of editing an object that is displayed on a display device; a display control unit configured to change the displaying on the display device, based on contents of the editing by the editing unit; and a notification unit configured to provide at least one of a first type notification or a second type notification via the display device, based on a fact that, by the editing of the object by the editing unit, an object with a transmission property is overlapped on a front surface of an object to be printed by use of a spot color ink, wherein the first type notification is provided for warning that the object with the transmission property is in a state of being overlapped on the front surface of the object to be printed by use of the spot color ink, and wherein the second type notification is provided for asking whether or not a predetermined overlapping state in which the object with the transmission property is overlapped on the front surface of the object to be printed by use of the spot color ink is to be maintained. 